COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Hartford women's basketball coach Jennifer Rizzotti will rejoin the USA Basketball Women's National Team's staff as the squad continues its preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games. Serving as a court coach under USA National Team and University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, Rizzotti and 11 USA Women's National Team athletes will participate in a training camp in Spain and compete in four exhibition games in Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic from Oct. 2-10.

This stint is not Rizzotti's first with USA Basketball, as last fall, she assisted the team for the FIBA World Championships. USA Basketball won gold in the eight-day event, which was held in Instanbul, Turkey.

Prior to the 2014 FIBA World Championships, Rizzotti, who was named the 2011 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year, led the 2011 U19 World Championship Team to a gold medal at the U19 FIBA World Championships. Previously, she led the U18 National Team to a perfect 5-0 record and the gold medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas Championship while earning the U.S a berth in the 2011 FIBA U19 Worlds.

Rizzotti's first USA Basketball coaching stint came in 2006 when she was an assistant coach for the U19 National Team. Under her guidance, the team collected gold with a 4-0 record at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and earned a qualifying spot in the 2007 U19 World Championships.

The USA squad will train Oct. 2-3 in Barcelona, Spain, before taking on professional EuroLeague club Uni Girona on Oct. 4 in Girona, Spain. Following a final practice in Barcelona, the team will travel to Italy to face the Italian National Team on Oct. 7 in Rome and the Dike Naples professional team on Oct. 8 in Naples. The tour concludes with a game against 2015 EuroLeague champion USK Prague on Oct. 9 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Expected to participate in the 2015 USA Basketball National Team European Tour are: Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut) and Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky).

DePaul University's Doug Bruno, the Minnesota Lynx' Cheryl Reeve and University of South Carolina's Dawn Staley join Rizzotti on the sidelines as Auriemma's assistants.

The 2016 Olympic Games will be held Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 12 nations will compete in the Olympic women's basketball competition, including host Brazil and the USA, which earned its berth by virtue of claiming the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Championship. Australia (Oceania), Canada (Americas), Japan (Asia) and Serbia (Europe) claimed their respective FIBA zone championship to earn a spot in the Rio field, while the African champion, which will be crowned on Oct. 3, will claim the seventh spot.

The remaining berths will be awarded to the top-five finishing teams at the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Qualified for that tournament based on finishes in their respective zone championships are: Argentina, Cuba and Venezuela from the Americas; China and South Korea from Asia; Belarus, France, Spain and Turkey from Europe; New Zealand from Oceania; and the two teams TBD from the AfroBasket Championship.